Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane issued a warning to consumers this week about new variations of a scam in which con artists pose as officials with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as they attempt to defraud taxpayers.

                The Office of Attorney General has continued to receive reports from Pennsylvanians concerning this new variety of scam. The office has learned that criminals are using increasingly sophisticated technology to target unsuspecting consumers.

                These "imposter" scams come through telephones and emails. Those responsible for the scam allege the person owes money to the IRS. Here are some variations of the scam that consumers should be cautious of:

                • Calls in which the caller tries to convince people they owe the IRS back taxes and pressures them to buy reloadable pre-paid debit cards to transfer the funds to pay what they owe.

                • Robocalls with automated messages telling the consumer they owe back taxes that will result in imminent legal action and instructing the consumer to touch a number or call a number to receive directions on how to pay their taxes.

                • Email messages containing what appear to be legitimate IRS forms, directing consumers to contact the "agency" through a link in the e-mail and provide bank account or credit card information to pay for the back taxes.

                Attorney General Kane cautions that these con artists may seem legitimate by referencing a consumer's personal information that is not publicly available. Sometimes this information may have been stolen from companies which suffered data breaches. 

                Attorney General Kane reminds consumers that they should remain calm and verify their tax status directly with the IRS by calling 1-800-829-1040. 

                You should also report these IRS scam calls or emails to the TIGTA website at the following link, www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml. 

                Reports of this type of criminal activity should also be reported to local law enforcement. Police then have the information to warn local residents to be on the lookout for these scams.

                Attorney General Kane encourages Pennsylvanians to remember that the IRS always sends written notification of any tax due by mail and never asks for a credit card, debit card or prepaid card over the phone.

                For more information or to report any scam, Attorney General Kane encourages Commonwealth residents to contact her Bureau of Consumer Protection at 1-800-441-2555.